The United States facing Grenada at Seattle's Qwest Field on the Fourth of July is just one of the highlights of the 10th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, as the group pairings and schedule was announced by the regional governing body on Thursday afternoon.
"We expect a very interesting and innovative process as we approach what is a completely unique format for this competition," CONCACAF General Secretary Chuck Blazer said in a conference call.
The U.S., the two-time defending champs, are in Group B along with Grenada, Honduras and Haiti.
After playing in Seattle, the entire group will then move to the Washington, D.C. on July 8 for a doubleheader at RFK Stadium with the U.S. taking on Honduras after Haiti and Grenada meet. The final group stage games will be played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on July 11.
The tournament, which will be played at a record 13 different venues, kicks off on July 3 with a Group A doubleheader at The Home Depot Center. Canada takes on Jamaica, while Costa Rica and El Salvador play in the nightcap.
That pod then travels to Crew Stadium in Columbus on July 7 with Jamaica taking on Costa Rica and El Salvador facing Canada. The final group stage matches will be played at Florida International University Stadium in Miami with Costa Rica facing Canada and El Salvador meeting Jamaica.
Four-time Gold Cup champion Mexico, currently struggling in World Cup qualifying, anchors Group C, which also features Panama, Guadeloupe and Nicaragua.
The first matches in Group C will be played on July 5 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum with Panama meeting Guadeloupe and Nicaragua facing El Tri. The group moves to Houston's Reliant Stadium where Mexico takes on Panama and Guadeloupe meets Nicaragua. The final group stage matches will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona.
The Group A winner meets the Group B runner-up and the Group B winner takes on the third place team between Groups A and C in quarterfinal matchups at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on July 18. The Group C runner-up takes on the Group A runner-up and the Group C winner faces a third-place team from Group A and B in the other quarterfinal at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium on July 19.
The semifinals will be played at Chicago's Soldier Field on July 23 and the final will be played at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on July 26.
"Depending on where you're from, any one of these matches can be a very special match," Blazer said. "Being a father of all of them, I get a kick out of watching every one of them and watching people enjoy themselves."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
